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Class _IESjS5^ 



CQEXRIGHT DEPOSm 



SONGS OF 
SERGEANT SWANSON 



SONGS OF 
SERGEANT SWANSON 



By 

WILLIAM F. KIRK 

n 
Author of "The Norsk Nightingale" 




BOSTON 
SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 






Copyright, 1918, 

By Small, Maynard & Company 

(Incorporated) 



SEP 26 {918 



-yi^ ' 



I 



THE T7NITEBSITY PBES3, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. 

©Gi.A5U-3571 






:^ To Dorothy 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 



Herman 3- 

Dis Star-Spangled Banner 4 

Battle Cry of Freedom 6 

The Yerman Yerm 8 

YuMP^ Boys! Yump! 9 

Otto Brickstein^ 10 

Officer Ole 12 

Minnehaha . 14 

Yeneral Yohnson 15 

Yankee Doodle 17 

The Gas Mask 18 

Yennie Yones 19 

Pete Peterson 20 

Ten-Cent Cigars 21 

Dodging 22 

Private Pete 23 

The Yermans 24 

Old Man Yenkins 25 

Yeneral Foch , 26 

Dis Har Crown Prince 27 

Sonnet of Soldiering 28 

Knights of Old 29 

Dese Irish 31 

To Columbia 32 

Abraham Lincoln 33 

To Uncle Sam S5 

Little Yulia 36 

vii 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

A Song of Action 57 

Corporal Clancy 38 

Dis Har Canteen 39 

*' YiMMiE " Yackson 40 

In THE Air 41 

A Trench Dream 42 

Yeneral Yoffry 43 

YusT Yustice 44 

Free Verse 45 

A Ballade of Bombs 46 

On the Yump 48 

YuLY 49 

To Voodrow Vilson 50 



vju 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 



HERMAN 

Ay used to know a Yerman 

Back home in Ninety-two. 
He yoined dese Sons o£ Herman — 

His name ban Herman, tu. 
He played in little Yerman Band 
And say he love his Faderland. 

Ven dis big var first coming 

To Yermany he go. 
He say ven things ban humming 

A Yerman band ban slow. 
He tenk dis Kaiser have big odds 
If he have Herman's help and God's. 

Ve caught some Yerman geezers 

In trench raid yesterday. 
In dis har crew ban Herman, tu, 

Ay know him mile avay ! 
Ay say to him, " Hello, old pal ! " 
" Hello ! " say HermaUo " Var ban Hal ! " 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

DIS STAR-SPANGLED BANNER 

Sax years Ay ban living in old U. S. A. 
And alvays ban vorking and getting gude 

pay. 
Ay tal all my friends Ay ban happy to 

be 
In dis land of the brave and dis home of 

the free! 
Ay tal all my friends, ven of Sveden dey 

brag, 
Dis Star-Spangled Banner ban yoUy gude 

flag! 



Ay tenk ven Ay vatch it vay op in the 

sky 
Ven first Ay come over dis new land to 

try, 
Dis flag ban look down kind of smiling 

and say 
" Ay tenk yu skol love me and help me 

some day ! '' 
Ay ban a green Svede, but vay down in 

my heart 
Ay feel dis har banner skol playing big 

part ! 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

So now Ay ban fighting dese Yermans, old 

pal, 
And ven Ay ban started Ay hustle lak Hal ! 
Ay tenk dis flag know me and sing in the 

And say " Ve skol vinning dis var bye and 

bye!" 
Ay fight twice as hard ven Ay look op 

and see 
Dis Star-Spangled Banner ban banking 

on me ! 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM 

Yump over the top ! Yump over the top ! 
Yump into dese Yermans and making dem 

drop! 
Ay tal yu dese Svedes skol mak yoUy gude 

show 
Lak dey fight for old Gustavus long time 

ago! 
Ven a Yerman birnip into a mad Svede, old 

pal, 
He last yust so long lak ice cream in Hal! 

Yump over the top ! Yump over the top ! 
Dese cannons go Boom and dese rifles go 

Pop. 
Dese Yermans ban knowing ve ban a 

tough batch — 
One Svede to sax Yermans ban purty gude 

match. 
And Ay bet yu dese Yermans know some- 

teng skol drop 
Ven Olesons and Swansons go over the top ! 

Yump over the top 1 Yump over the top ! 
Yust mak dis old Kaiser to closing up 
shop! 

6 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

Dis Kaiser ban starting to murder and 

rob — 
Dese Svedes and dese Yankees skol give 

him new yob. 
Dey know he ban breaking his promise on 

throne, 
And soon dey skol give him gude yob 

breaking stone! 

Over the top ! 
Over the top ! 
Old Kaiser Vilhelm ban going to drop! 



SONGS OF SERGEANT; SWANSON 

THE YERMAN YERM 

Dar ban some funny little worms — 
Dese doctor fallers call dem yerms. 
Dey say dese yerms ban purty quick 
To fill yure blood and mak yu sick. 
Ay tenk of all dese yerms vich crawl 
Dis Yerman yerm. ban vorst of all ! 

Dis Yerman yerm say " Go in town 
And burn all God's gude churches down 
And wrong all women yu skol see 
And hang old men on tallest tree 
And kill the sick and the infirm ! 
And Babies ! " say dis Yerman yerm ! 

Dar ban yust one sure thing ve know — 
Dis Yerman yerm skol have to go ! 
Dis world skol never be fair place 
So long as it can show its face ! 
Dese Allies skol stand pat and firm 
Till ve ban kill dis Yerman yerm ! 



8 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

YUMP, BOYS! YUMP! 

Yump, boys ! Yump ! 
Ve skol have dem up a stump 
Ef ve fight, fight, fight! 
Every day and every night ! 
Yust so sure as God ban King 
Dis har Kaiser ve skol sting! 
Ef dis Kaiser keep his place 
God ban mocking human race ! 

Yoin, boys ! Yoin ! 
Quit yure yobs vich pay gude coin ! 
Ven yu got God's vork to du 
Vat in Hal ban coin to yu? 
Never mind vat slackers say 
'Bout dese yobs vith fancy pay. 
Dar ban only one Man's Yob — 
Beating dis har Yerman mob ! 

Yump, boys ! Yump ! 
Kaiser Vilhelm ban a chump ! 
Even if his fist ban hard 
Vilhelm's head ban full of lard ! 
Ven he putting on his hat 
Dis har hat ban full of fat! 
He skol sune get awful bump ! 
Yump, boys ! Yump ! 
9 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

OTTO BRICKSTEIN 

" Vat for ban bugles blowing loud? " said 
Ole-on-the-Yob. 

" To vake yu op ! " his pal he say. " Yu 
ban a sleepy slob ! '' 

^' Vat for yu vant to vake me op ? " young 
Ole he skol say, 

" To see dis Otto Brickstein. He ban get- 
ting his to-day ! 

Dey ban hanging Otto Brickstein 

on scaffold gude and high. 
He ban hanging 'round vith 

Allies — he ban a Yerman spy. 
He tal dis Yudge ' Gudemorning ' 

— dis Yudge tal him ' Gude- 

bye!' 
Dey ban hanging Otto Brickstein 

in the morning ! " 

" Ay lak to getting little sleep ! " say Ole- 
on-the-Yob. 

" Last night Ay drenk a little yin and 
got gude ache in knob." 

" All right," his pal say, " go to sleep, 
yu lazy, loafing chump ! 
10 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

But Ay skol stay avake and see ven 
Otto tak dis yump. 

Dey ban hanging Otto Brickstein. 

It mak him blue lak Hal. 
Dis Kaiser give him Iron Cross and 

tal him ' Gudebye, Pal ! ' 
Ef Kaiser ban in danger yu vould 

hearing awful yal ! 
Dey ban hanging Otto Brickstein 

in the morning ! '' 



11 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

OFFICER OLE 

Officer Ole ban feeling tired — 

He ban on the march since ten. 

Dese vagons stick, and horses get mired, 
And it ban tough vork for men. 

Finally Officer Ole get sore 

And say " Ay an't going to march no 
more ! " 

He sit right down on gude big log 
And vatching the gang go by. 
He say he don't lak to quit lak dog 

But he ban too tired to try. 
He say " Ay s'pose yu skol making 

roar 
But Ay yust an't going to march no 
more ! '^ 

So the rest of us have to march avay 

And leave poor Ole behind. 
Den Yermans ban coming and someone 
say 
" Ole ban change his mind ! " 
And down dis road come my old pal 
And Officer Ole ban running lak Hal ! 
12 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

^' Ay thought yu ban going to march no 

more ! '' 
Ay say ven he coming near. 
" Ay thought yure legs ban so tired and 

sore 
Yu skol march no more for a year ! " 
And he say, wjhen he pass us on the 

yump, 
" Ef yu call dis marching, yu ban a 

chump ! " 



13 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

MINNEHAHA 

Ven Ay rest in camp dis morning 
Ay ban borrowing book from soldier 
Vich he borrowed tu, he tal me. 
It ban all about dese Inyuns 
And its name ban " Hiawatha " 
And it tal about a river 
And dese Falls of Minnehaha. 

Den Ay shut my eyes a minute 
And remember one nice summer 
Ven Ay soldier at Fort Snelling 
Near dese Falls of Minnehaha 
Vich ban out in old Mansota. 
It ban dar Ay meet a lady — 
She ban blond — her name ban Minnie 
And Ay tenk did Minnie love me 
So Ay blow my pay all Summer 
In dese shows and ice cream parlors 
Out near Falls of Minnehaha. 
And at last, ven Ay ask Minnie 
Ef she lak me for a husband 
Minnie she skol give me Ha Ha 
And go back to Minneapolis. 
" Yu ban chump to fall for Minnie ! " 
Say dese Falls of Minnehaha. 
14 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

YENERAL YOHNSON 

Yohnson ban corporal, lazy and fat, 
Talking all day but he talk t'ru' his hat. 
" Ven Ay ban Yeneral Yohnson," he say, 
" All of yu fallers skol getting gude pay. 
All of yu fallers skol resting all day ! 

" Ven Ay ban Yeneral Yohnson," he say, 
" Ay skol yust chasing dese Yermans avay ! 
Op on white horse Ay skol looking so 

grand 
All dese har Yermans skol losing their 

sand. 
Den Ay skol running dis whole yolly 

show 
Yust lak Yeorge Vashington long time 

ago. 
Ay skol vin fights and mak Yermany pay 
Ven Ay ban Yeneral Yohnson," he say. 

Yohnson ban taking us over the top 
Yesterday noon and our Captain skol 

drop. 
Ven ve run back into trenches a-flying 
Yohnson he stick var our Captain ban 

lying. 

15 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

Yohnson skol carry him back to the 

trench — 
Captain an't hurt much — he set op on 

bench. 
" Yen Ay ban Yeneral — " Yohnson he 

say, 
And Corporal Yohnson skol passing avay. 



16 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

YANKEE DOODLE 

Ay ban Svede, but Ay tal yu 
Ay ban Yankee Doodle, tu ! 
All t'ru' dis bar yoUy yam 
Ay skol fight for Uncle Sam ! 
Long ago Ay come to see 
Dis bar Country of the Free 
And it ban gude home for me. 

It ban bar Ay mak first penny — 
It ban bar Ay marrying Yennie. 
It ban bar, ven roses blow, 
Little Olaf come and go. 
Ef he ban har now. Ay know 
He vud love dis country tu 
And dis red and white and blue ! 

Ay an't ban a Svede no more — 

Ay ban Yankee down to core ! 

Yust three tengs Ay tenk ban grand — 

God and Yennie and Yankeeland ! 

After while, ven ve skol go. 

Little Olaf he skol know 

Yust how dear dis Land of Free 

Ban to Yennie and to me ! 



17 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

THE GAS MASK 

Old Yohnson — his first name ban Yohn — 

Skol talk lak blazes, off and on. 

Yohn ban a private. Ay got notion 

He talk too much to get promotion. 

He know how long to wery day 

Dis var ban going to last, he say. 

He know, he say, yust to a dot 

How many guns dese Yermans got. 

He say " Ay 'm onto dese har Dutch — 

Dey can't fool me. Ay know tu much ! " 

The oder fallers all feel bum 
Ven dey see old Yohn Yohnson come. 
And yust so sune as he see Yohn 
Each f aller put his gas mask on ! 
Dey keep dese masks on gude and tight 
Till Yohn skol tal the gang Gude night. 
Dey say " Yohn Yohnson he ban ass 
And all his talk ban yust lak gas ! " 
Ay tenk a gas mask vork lak peach 
Ven Congressmen ban making speech ! 



18 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

YENNIE YONES 

Yennie Yones, Ay mak dis verse 
To my little Red Cross nurse. 
Yu ban doing all yu can 
Yust so brave as any man ! 

Yoan of Arc ban brave, of course, 
Ven she ride on big white horse. 
She ban living long ago 
When War ban lak circus show. 

War an't ban no circus now — 
Not dis har War, anyhow. 
Not one cheer for Yennie Yones — 
All she ever hear ban groans. 

Red Cross girls — dey all ban brave. 
Men skol kill and dey skol save. 
Op in Heaven dese golden thrones 
Ban for girls lak Yennie Yones ! 



19 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

PETE PETERSON 

Pete Peterson ban Sergeant now 
And he ban starting yoUy row. 

He get too fresh and yump on me — 
Ay .ban a Sergeant tu, yu see. 

He com along in nice new suit 

And say " Swan Swanson, yu salute ! " 

Ay tal him " It ban op to yu 
Because Ay ban a Sergeant tu ! " 



6i 

ii 



Yu skol salute me first ! '' say he 
Ef yu ban yentleman lak me ! " 



Ay say " Ay 'm Sergeant sax months 

past 
And so Ay skol salute yu last ! " 

Den he salute me, and Ay s'pose 
He put his thumb too near his nose. 

Dey feed me now on water and bread 
But Sergeant Pete, he eat in bed ! 



20 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

TEN-CENT CIGARS 

Inwentors of printing ban grand — 
Inwentors of talking ban fine ! 

But man who inwented dese ten-cent cigars, 
He stand op at head of the line ! 

Last night Ay ban lying in trench 
And feeling dese yolts and dese yars 

Ven a geezer go by and catching my eye 
And give me two ten-cent cigars ! 

Ay find me a match quick enough 
And den Ay look op at dese stars 

And don't feeling tough ven Ay taking a 
puff 
At one of dese ten-cent cigars ! 

Ay ban kind of tough all my life 
Since Ay ban 'bout ten or eleven, 

And so Ay don't know ef Ay got any show 
For yumping from har op to Heaven. 

But Ay thank the gude faller who sent 

Dese ten-cent cigars over sea, 
And ef Ay can smoke dese cigars till Ay 
choke 
It ban near enough Heaven for me ! 
21 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SW ANSON 

DODGING 

Ven Ay ban young, 'bout ten years old, 
Ay got stiff neck from catching cold. 
And den it used to seem to me 
My neck ban purty stiff, by yee ! 

But now Ay ban a soldier man 
And know yust what a stiff neck ban ! 
My neck ban stiff lak stiff board vails 
From dodging dese har cannon balls. 

Ven Ay ban little kid in school 
Ay used to dodging teacher's rule. 
But now Ay ban brave soldier man 
And know what dodging really ban! 

Lak geezers bowing ven dey pray 
Ay bow sax thousand times a day. 
And ven dese bullets fly t'ru' air 
Dese vords Ay say an't ban no prayer ! 

So ef yu see me some nice day 
And Ay don't bow lak preachers pray 
Yu '11 know ven Ay don't bow my head 
Ay got stiff neck from dodging lead. 



22 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

PRIVATE PETE 

Dis Private Pete ban funny guy 
Who yoin us fallers last Yuly. 
Ven he ban hurt or sick or broke 
He act yust lak it ban a yoke. 

He yoke all day and laugh and seng — 
He mak a yoke of everyteng. 
Ven some big yeneral come near place 
Pete say " Here comes old Frozen Face." 

Pete say to die for flag ban fine 
And say " Ay tenk Ay '11 live for mine. 
Ay got varm heart but got cold feet 
Ven bullets fly ! " say Private Pete. 

But yesterday ven fallers go 
Over the top at Yerman foe 
Dey fight so hard dis foe retreat 
And no man fight lak Private Pete ! 

He com back, tu, and say " Old pal, 
Ay sent sax Yerman guys to Hal 
And some day soon Ay tenk Ay '11 meet 
Dese Yerman guys ! " say Private Pete. 



23 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SW ANSON 

THE YERMANS 

Who used to tenk dis War ban great? 

The Yermans. 
Who used to sing dis song of hate? 

The Yermans. 
Who start to march and capture France 
And say '' Dese English got no chance 
And ve skol make dese Frenchmen dance? " 

The Yermans. 

Who bite off more dan dey skol chew? 

The Yermans. 
Who find that tengs look purty blue? 

The Yermans. 
Who ban at sea in leaky boat 
And find gude lump com op in throat 
Yen Uncle Sam take off his coat? 

The Yermans. 

Who did all dis har Kaiser's dirt? 

The Yermans. 
Who squeal lak Hal ven dey ban hurt? 

The Yermans. 
Who get gude lesson every day 
And after war ban going to pay 
Dese Allies and dis U. S. A.? 

The Yermans ! 
24 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

OLD MAN YENKINS 

Old Man Yenkins ban hot old sport 
Who settle his bills in Yustice Court. 
He ban so stingy people say 
Dey have to sue him to getting pay. 
Old Man Yenkins ban rich as a Yew 
And got a million in farm land, tu. 
And so one day dey hear him say 
" Ay tenk Ay skol help dis U. S. A. ! 
Ay skol help dese fallers across big pond 
So Ay skol buy me a Liberty Bond ! " 

And so he open old box of i tin 
And fifty dollars he blow right in ! 
At first dey tenk he skol have a fit 
But Old Man Yenkins he do his bit. 
He buy dis bond lak a gude old soul 
And put big flag in his button-hole. 
" Ay skol do my part, by yee ! " say he, 
" For dis land of Brave and dis home of 

Free!'' 
Ef Old Man Yenkins ban gude old sport 
Den Hal ban first-class summer resort! 



25 



^t'-' 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SW ANSON 

YENERAr FOCH 

Yeneral Vashmgton, long ago. 
Fight lak blazes and trim dis foe. 
Yeneral Grant and Yeneral Lee 
Ban great yenerals tu, by yee! 
Yeneral Sherman say War ban Hal 
But Sherman ban gude brave Yeneral. 
Maester Napoleon Bonaparte 
Have a fox's brain and a lion's heart. 
Yeneral Yohnson an't take no bluff 
And Stonevall Yackson, he ban hot stuff! 
But Ay know fighters, and Ay tal yu 
Dis Yeneral Foch ban a fighter, tu ! 

Ven dis big War ban history stuff 
And Yermans tenk dey skol have enough, 
Dis Yeneral Foch skol have big name 
And planty of dis har stuff called Fame. 
Ay tal him so yust the oder day 
And he tal me in French "The Hal yu 
say ! " 



26 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

DIS HAR CROWN PRINCE 

Dis har Crown Prince an't much to blame 
For part he ban playing in Yerman game, 
Lak lots of geezers vich look for throne 
His head ban solid and mostly bone. 
Ven he ban a stupid Yerman kid 
He never got spanked for tengs he did 
And dese har courtiers standing by 
Skol alvays tal him " Yu ban some guy ! '' 
And dis Crown Prince feel bold as brass 
And tak gude look in his looking glass. 
And he say to himself " Salute the King ! " 
And grin in dis looking glass, and sing, 
And say " Ay skol sune be King, Ay hope, 
'Cause my old man ban an awful dope ! " 

Yu alvays notice when Fame ban won 
It an't ban won by a great man's son. 
My old man ban purty smart, by yee ! 
But my old man never ban great, lak me ! 
And dis har Kaiser ban great man now -— 
Dese Yermans die for him, anyhow ! 
So ven great men's sons ban mostly bone 
It look purty blue for dis Yerman throne ! 



27 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

SONNET ON SOLDIERING 

Yu hear dis bugle call at break of day 
And it skol call yust ven yu dream of home 
And yu skol vash yure face and grab yure 

comb 
And yump to put dis breakfast fude avay. 
Yu dodge nice shot fired by some Yerman 

Vich purty near ban wentilate yure dome 
And wish yu ban in New York Hippo- 
drome 
Vith yure best girl. And den the vorld 
look gray! 

Yu bet the vorld look gray ! Dis fighting 

yob 
Ban fine to read about and tough to do ! 
Yu vish dis Kaiser and his Yerman mob 
Ban down var dese har devils have hot 

stew. 
And den yu vonder, tenking 'bout back 

home, 
Who ban vith Yennie now at Hippodrome? 



28 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

KNIGHTS OF OLD 

Dese knights of old, 
So ve ban told, 

Ban first-class fighting men. 
Old Richard Third 
He ban a bird 

And fight if boss sajr when. 

Old Ivanhoe 
He an't ban slow 

And mak men drop in tracks. 
He have keen eye 
And ban mean guy 

Vith dis har battle-axe. 

King Harold, tu, 
Skol scrap a few 

Ven knighthood ban in flower. 
He hit his foes 
Gude smash on nose 

And foes stay out an hour. 

Dese knights of old 
Ban gude and bold, 

But never have to go 
T'ru' shot and shal 
And gas and Hal 

To take gude smash at foe ! 
29 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

Dar ban brave knights 
To-day in fights 

And my gal Steena say 
Vith knights lak me 
Dis Land of Free 

Skol put dese Dutch avay ! 



80 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

DESE IRISH 

Who ban a funny kind of bunch? 

Dese Irish! 
Who always getting some new hunch? 

Dese Irish! 
Who kick and sqveal and mak big bluff 
And say dey an't got rights enough 
But fight lak Hal ven tengs look tough? 

Dese Irish! 

Who ban so stubborn lak a mule? 

Dese Irish. 
Who alvays talk about Home Rule? 

Dese Irish. 
Who lak to fight and get black eye 
And who skol holler ven dey die 
Ef dey don't find Home Rule in sky? 

Dese Irish! 

But who ban alvays Freedom's boys? 

Dese Irish. 
Who tenk dese scraps ban dearest yoys? 

Dese Irish. 
Ven Hal ban popping low and high 
And Yermans for our trenches try 
Who skol Ay lak to have close by? 

Dese Irish! 

31 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

TO COLUMBIA 

O Columbia, dis Yem of the Ocean ! 

Ay mak little song yust for yu ! 
All gude Svedes skol second the motion 

Because dey ban loving yu true ! 
In Nort' and in dis South Dakota 

Yu gave us the best ve could get 
And lots of gude Svedes in Mansota 

Skol fight for Old Glory, yu bet ! 

O Columbia, dis Yem of the Ocean! 

Ay fight my Yim-darnedest for yu 
And tenk Ay skol get gude promotion 

Before dis har scrapping ban through. 
Ay luv yu lak mother luv baby 

And dat ban big luv, yes, by yee ! 
Ay live in Columbia — and maybe 

Ay skol die for dis Land of the Free ! 



32 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

Abraham Lincoln — he an't ban a Svede — 
It say he ban Yankee, in books vich Ay 

read. 
He an't ban gude looking, his legs ban tu 

tall 
But Abraham Lincoln ban greatest of all! 

Folks skol have slaves in days long ago 
Vich vork gude and hard and an't getting 

no dough. 
Ay lak gude hard vork vich making me 

sveat 
But ven it come 'round Ay lak payday, yu 

bet! 

Abraham Lincoln skol say to dese guys, 
" Dese slaves an't got minute to look op 

at skies. 
Ay tenk dey got right to wacation in Yune 
Lak Villiams or Valker or any swell coon ! " 

So Abraham Lincoln ban setting dem free 
And now dey have payday lak yu and lak 

me. 
Ef Ay ban a coon and Ay have a fine baby 
Ay bet yu my life Ay skol naming him 

Abie! 

33 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON ( 

Dis Kaiser skol lak to mak slaves of us all 
But ban bumping his head into yoUy stone 

vaU! 
And Abraham Lincoln look down from the 

skies 
And mak a gude bet on American guys ! 



34 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

TO UNCLE SAM 

Ay skol back yu to the end, 

Uncle Sam. 
Yu ban gude old Yankee friend, 

Uncle Sam. 
Ay skol going over top 
Till ve mak dese Yermans stop — 
Ay skol fighting till Ay drop. 

Uncle Sam! 

Dis Yeorge Cohan sing vith yoy, 

Uncle Sam, 
" Ay ban Yankee Doodle Boy ! '' 

Uncle Sam. 
Dis Yeorge Vashington can't sing 
Back in days ven he fight King 
But yu bet his sword skol sting, 

Uncle Sam! 

Dis ban all vich Ay skol write. 

Uncle Sam. 
Ay skol drop my pen and fight. 

Uncle Sam. 
Yust so long as Ay skol stand 
Ay skol fight dis Yerman band! 
God bless yu and Yankeeland, 

Uncle Sam! 
35 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

LITTLE YULIA 

Little YuHa write to me 
Var Ay ban across big sea. 

Yulia write me " Save yure pay — 
Ve skol marry some fine day." 

Yulia she ban sax years old 
But she got gude eye for gold. 

She ban old enough to know 
Getting married needs some dough. 

So she write me " Save yure pay — 
Ve skol marry some fine day.'' 

Val, dis ban best vay. Ay s'pose, 
For yung lady to propose. 

Ven she lose her baby curls 
And get wise lak older girls 

Maybe she skol help to blow 
All Ay save of dis har dough. 



36 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

A SONG OF ACTION 

Keep dese Yermans jumping 

Every chance yu got! 
Keep dese rifles pumping! 

Keep dese cannon hot ! 
Mak dem break lak bubble, 

Dis har Kaiser's crew ! 
Dey ban look for trouble — 

It ban op to yu ! 

Keep dese Yermans yumping 

Till dey fall in tracks. 
Show how Yanks keep humping 

Lak in Seventy-sax! 
Every time smoke raises 

Yust keep shooting, pal! 
Give dese Yermans blazes! 

Give dese Dutchmen Hal ! 



37 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

CORPORAL CLANCY 

Dis har Yim Clancy ban so tough 
All fallers give him room enough. 
He ban so tough Ay ban afraid 
To give him yob vith pick or spade. 
Yen oder fallers dig in trench 
He tal me " Ay skol play the bench ! 
Ay lak to see some roundhead yay 
Tal me to vork ! " Yim Clancy say. 

Ay never see a man so tough 

And Ay seen plenty tough enough ! 

He say " Ef all dis corn beef fails 

Ay '11 eat sax pounds of shingle nails ! 

Ef shingle nails ban hard to get 

Ay skol eat railroad spikes, yu bet! " 

His chin ban sqvare, his neck ban rough — 

Oh, yes, Yim Clancy he ban tough! 

But last night boys ban singing song 
'Bout dis har trail vich ban long, long ! 
At first Yim Clancy he get pale 
Yen dey skol sing " Dar 's a long, long 

trail!" 
Ay find him after he ban hid, 
And he ban crying, yust lak kid ! 
He say to me " Gudenight, old pal — 
To-morrow Ay skol fight lak Hal ! " 
38 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SW ANSON 

DIS HAR CANTEEN 

Dis har Canteen In gude old days 
Ven Ay ban soldier in Fort Snelling, 

It ban fixed op in saxty vays 

To boost dis booze vich dey ban selling. 

But Ay skol lak to tal yu how 

Dis har Canteen ban different now. 

Dar ban no tough guy tending bar 
Lak in old days ven tough bartenders 

Skol shake yu dice for gude cigar 

And win yure pay and yure suspenders ! 

Since dis har Fight ban going thick 

Dis new Canteen ban purty slick. 

Dar ban nice ladies, svell and sveet. 
To give yu smile lak any el give. 

Dar ban no rail to rest yure feet. 
But yu got better chance to live ! 

Yu get gude coffee now instead 

Of gude old Rye vich knock yu dead ! 

In gude old days yu never see 
Tough soldier faller in Canteen 

Taking gude drenk of milk or tea 
Vich he skol get from purty qveen. 

But now, ven ve skol rise from bed, 

Our eyes ban blue instead of red ! 
3& 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SW ANSON 

"YIMMIE'^ YACKSON 

Yimmie Yackson com to me 
Yesterday and say, say he : 
" Dis har game ban purty tough 
And Ay 'm sick, all right enough ! 
Both my knees skol bend, old scout, 
Yust lak yack-knife all vorn out. 
Ay don't care ef Ay ban sick — 
Ay skol stick ! '' 

Yimmie Yackson don't tal lie — 
He ban sick enough to die. 
He ban thin lak long thin rail 
And his face skol grow so pale 
Lak a face yu see in yail. 
But ven doctor tal liim " Qvit ! '' 
Yimmie Yackson tal him " Nit ! 
Ay ban gude for one more trick — 
Ay skol stick ! " 

And to-day, at half-past sax, 
Yimmie fall right in his tracks. ^ 

He ban gone. And ven he vaits 
Op at dese har Pearly Gates 
Var gude fallers all ban thick, 
He skol stick ! 

40 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

IN THE AIR 

To-day Ay go in aeroplane 

It ban first time Ay yump in sky. 
It go so fast lak railroad train 

And maybe t'ousand times as high. 
Ay ban lak lots of oder men — 

Ay hate to go op high in air, 
But f aller tal me " Yump in, Sven ! 

And ve skol sail to Golden Stair ! " 

Ven ve ban op sax t'ousand feet 

My feet ban cold lak iceman's hands 
And yiminy ! How my heart skol beat 

Lak gude bass drum in dese brass bands ! 
Ay vork in mine long time ago — 

It ban tough yob and Ay don't love it, 
But mile down under ground. Ay know, 

Ban nicer yob dan mile above it! 



41 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

A TRENCH DREAM 

Ay ban dreaming of my home 

In Duluth, 
Ven Ay used to take gude roam 

In Duluth. 
Over har it ban tough yob 
Fighting dis har Yerman mob. 
Once Ay ban a happy slob 

In Duluth. 

Ay ban leaving little gal 

In Duluth. 
Now Ay s'pose she got new pal 

In Duluth. 
She skol write me it ban tough 
And she say she ^s blue enough 
But dar ban a lot of bluff 

In Duluth. 

So Ay 'm dreaming of my Yane 

In Duluth, 
And Ay 'd lak to yump off train 

In Duluth. 
Maybe she stay home and sob 
And turn down Yack and Yim and Bob 
But Ay tenk dis ban tough yob 

In Duluth. 

42 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SW ANSON 

YENERAL YOFFRY 

Ef Ay ban Yeneral Yoffry now 
Instead of yust a sergeant geezer, 

Ay skol be raising yoUy row 

And lead my men lak Yulius Caesar. 

Ay know dar ban some Yeneral man 
Who used to tenk he ban a vinner. 

He lead his men op hill and den 

He lead men down again for dinner. 

But ef Ay ban a Yeneral man 

Ay 'd leading men op hill all right 

And den Ay 'd say " Right har ve stay 
Till Hal ban freezing gude and tight ! '* 

Ay 'd find dis Kaiser anyhow 

And handing him gude yolt on beezer, 
But Ay an't ban a Yeneral now — 

Ay only ban a sergeant geezer. 

Ay tenk Ay show some speed, by yee ! 

Ay tenk Ay trim dis Yerman mob 
Ef Yeneral Yoffry he ban me 

And Ay have Yeneral Yoffry 's yob! 



43 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

YUST YUSTICE 

Yust Yustlce — dis ban all ve ask 

For all gude fallers on dis earth. 
Each man ban glad to do his task 

And yump for all vich he ban vorth. 
Each faller feel, 'vay down in heart. 

It ban gude scheme to keep on jumping, 
And every day he tak new start 

As long as dis har heart ban pumping. 

Us fighting fallers, ve don't feel 

As if dis game of Var ban Circus. 
Ve have to yump around lak chump 

And it ban Hal the vay dey vork us ; 
But ve ban sure, 'vay down in hearts, 

Dat ve ban fighting for the veak. 
And Life skol be more sveet, by yee! 

Ven dese har Kings skol tak a sneak ! 

Yust Yustice — dat ban all ve vish 

And so ve sit in rain on benches 
And hear dese cannon balls go svish! 

And get cold feet in dese har trenches, 
Ven all dis vorld ban free at last 

And all dese Kings ban on the hummer, 
Den ve skol know all Vars ban past 

And Life skol be yust one sveet Summer ! 
44 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SW ANSON 

FREE VERSE 

Ve got a faller har in camp, 

He tal me he ban write Free Werse. 
He say he used to ban a tramp 

And tal me riches ban a curse. 
He show me poem he skol write 

After ve drive some Yermans back. 
He read dis poem to me last night — 

Ay tenk he give me gas attack! 

Dur ban no rhyme, dar ban no time — 

It ban yust prose chopped op lak Hal. 
He call it " Seeking the Sublime ! " 

" My Muse," say he, " ban Mysti-cal ! '^ 
He say Free Werse ban all New Thought 

Vich keep his Muse from making tunes. 
Ef Ay skol tal him vat Ay ought. 

Ay 'd say his Muse ban full of prunes ! 



45 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

A BALLADE OF BOMBS 

Ay know hard bumps. Ay bet Ay du ! 
Ay tenk since Ay ban kid at play 
Dat Ay ban mostly black and blue 
Because my luck ban run dis vay. 
All dese hard knocks vich human clay 
Ban heir to, lots of times Ay take, 
But since Ay 'm har. Ay lak to say 
Yu bet dese bombs skol take the cake ! 

Last night ven all my vork ban t'ru', 
And Ay ban going to the hay, 
Ay tenk Ay tak a smoke or two 
Ay get from f aller yesterday. 
Ay tak gude puff and feel qvite gay 
Ven all of sudden com big shake! 
Ay drop lak dis har One Hoss Shay ! 
Yu bet dese bombs skol take the cake! 

And Ole Oleson get it, tu ! 
He lak to svear but start to pray ! 
Ay tenk it take sax qvarts of glue 
To patch him op so he skol stay. 
Ven Ay get orders, Ay obey 
And rake poor Ole op vith rake. 
And send him back to U. S. A. 
Yu bet dese bombs skol take the cake! 
46 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

Ay lak to catch some Yerman yay 
Com sneaking op lak big fat snake ! 
Ay '11 blow him straight to Yudgment Day ! 
Yu bet dese bombs skol take the cake! 



47 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

ON THE YUMP 

On the yump ! 

Fight and sing! 
Ve skol dump 

Dis Yerman King! 

The Master say long time ago, 
Ven he ban talking sveet and low : 
" Let little children play," say He, 
" Suffer dese children to com to Me ! '' 
Dis Kaiser say " My foes ban curst — 
Kill dese vimmen and children first ! " 
Ven Ay ban young Ay used to say 
Dar ban no Hal, but Ay tenk to-day 
Dar ban 'bout saxteen red-hot Hals 
For Kaiser Vilhelm and his pals ! 

On the yump ! 

Fight and sing! 
Ve skol dump 

Dis Yerman King! 



48 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SW ANSON 

YULY 

It ban on saxteenth of Yuly 

Ven Captain Yinks skol passing by, 

Dis Captain Yinks he ban a beaut 

And look at me ven Ay salute. 

" Val, Sergeant Swanson," den he say, 

" Ay tenk dis har ban dam' hot day ! " 

And ven Ay try to tal him why 

Dis sun ban hot vay op in sky 

Ay look at him and say " Yuly ! '' 

Den Captain Yinks he look at me 
Lak my vife look at half-past three 
Ven Ay com home from Eagle Lodge. 
He look so ugly Ay skol dodge! 
He tal me " What ban biting yu 
To call me liar? Yu big stew 
Ay tenk yu must ban full of brew ! '' 
And den Ay tal him Ay skol try 
To say dis month it ban Yuly. 
And den he laugh lak he skol cry 
And say " Ay vish yu Svedish skates 
Could learn to talk United States ! " 



49 



SONGS OF SERGEANT SWANSON 

TO VOODROW VILSON 

Dear President, Ay lak to say 
Yu ban grand boss of U. S. A. 
Ven dese har Yermans getting gay 

Yu call deir bluff ! 
All dese har tengs yu say ban grand 
But little child skol understand 
And since from Sveden first Ay land, 

Ay read yure stuff. 

Ay read yure stuff and den Ay know 

Vy Yankee fallers luv you so ! 

Yure vords ban plain and dis har foe 

Dey stab lak knife. 
Ay don't know English wery val 
But ven Ay read vat yu skol tal. 
Den Ay skol fight for you, old pal ! 

Yu bet yure life ! 

Yu keep yure head and yu keep cool 
Lak ven yu used to teaching school. 
Dis Kaiser sit on dunce's stool 

Ven yu mak speech. 
Yu got a lot of tengs to du 
For dis har Red and White and Blue 
So Ay skol close. Gude luck to yu ! 

Yu ban a peach ! 
50 



